This is the third part of a five-part Around the Horn series detailing the Mets’ roster heading into 2026. We've already done the starting rotation and the bullpen. Next up: Catchers.
NEW YORK -- Little can lift a team like a standout catcher. Most clubs -- not you, Seattle, but most clubs -- receive little offensive production from behind the plate, where a catcher’s job is largely to manage a pitching staff. Those who find a backstop capable of doing both hold a distinct advantage.
Francisco Alvarez was supposed to be able to do both. One of the game’s top prospects as a teenager, Alvarez hasn’t quite fulfilled that potential yet, but he’s also shown enough flashes to fuel belief that he still might. If nothing else, Alvarez is still the clear leader of the Mets’ catching contingent heading into camp.
Here’s a breakdown of that situation:
On the 40-man roster: Francisco Alvarez, Luis Torrens, Hayden Senger
Injured: None
Notable departures: None
Notable non-roster invitees: Austin Barnes, Kevin Parada, Suero
The projected starter
It’s almost hard to believe this will be Alvarez’s fifth year in the Majors (counting his cup of coffee down the stretch and into the playoffs in 2022). While Alvarez hasn’t developed as Mets officials might have hoped, he hasn’t exactly been a bust, either. In recent years, it’s been mostly freak injuries -- including a trio of surgeries stemming from hand and wrist issues -- that have held back the former top prospect.
The good news is that Alvarez is still just 24, he’s under team control for four more seasons and, at his best, he’s shown more than a few flashes of what he can be. Over his final 41 games last season after returning from a Minor League demotion, Alvarez hit eight homers with a .921 OPS. He was better across the board than he had been in seasons past, giving Mets officials hope that if he can stay on the field for a full season, he can finally give the team a standout year. Long valued for his work ethic and makeup, Alvarez still has a chance to become a star. But it must happen soon.
Any competition?
Ever since the Mets acquired Torrens early in the 2024 season, he’s been pushing Alvarez for playing time. He figures to continue doing so in 2026, even though Alvarez is the clear starter heading into camp. How much playing time Torrens receives will likely depend less on his own performance and more on how Alvarez fares. Even as a backup, Torrens has done wonders to thwart opposing baserunners, which used to be a significant problem for the Mets.
Senger, the best defensive catcher in the organization, will return to Triple-A unless there’s an injury elsewhere on the roster. Late in the offseason, the Mets signed Barnes to a Minor League deal to provide additional depth. He has a shot to unseat Torrens for the backup job, but that will be an uphill climb; Torrens is seven years younger with a better recent track record of success.
What about the future?
Parada, the Mets’ first-round pick in 2022, went unclaimed in the Rule 5 Draft in December after the Mets left him unprotected. Last year was his best as a professional, but it still wasn’t enough to put him seriously in the picture heading into 2026. A former Top 100 prospect, Parada is actually three months older than Alvarez. While his career hasn’t completely stalled yet, he’ll need to have a monster year in the upper Minors to reinsert himself into the team’s long-term plans.
Of the organization’s three Top 30 catching prospects, Suero is by far the closest to the Majors, having reached Double-A last season. He’s drawn rave reviews for his makeup and versatility but may not stick as an everyday catcher.
Realistically, the future here is the same as the present: Alvarez, who’s under team control through the 2029 season. If the Mets had to move on from their starter for whatever reason, they’d likely look outside the organization to do so.